Essence Devouring Art

FLUTTER FLUTTER~

The pages of the book flipped rapidly.

The Giant Whale Skill had a total of nine levels!

Each level granted the power of one Barbaric Whale!

Eighty-one Cultivation Diagrams in total.

Each Cultivation Diagram was an exercise posture.

There were nine Body Refinement postures per level.

They were accompanied by extensive annotations and explanations.

Every posture could temper the muscles, tendons, and bones throughout the body. The later stages even trained the internal organs, brain, and spirit!

Each level also had different Breathing Techniques to aid in Cultivation.

Of course, cultivating each level of the Giant Whale Skill was also inseparable from the support of corresponding Great Medicines.

After all, while tempering the body, each movement also caused immense damage. Without the aid of Great Medicines, it would be easy to cripple oneself in the process.

He tucked the copied manual into his robes.

Wu Dao fully extended his senses, scanning the entire treasury and beginning to sift through the items for what would be most beneficial to him.

A moment later,

He made his decision.

CLATTER...

Silver Yuanbaos spilled onto the floor from a chest that was half a man’s height.

Wu Dao didn’t even glance at the silver, instead dragging the now-empty large chest on a sweep through the treasury.

First, the medicinal herbs!

With a twitch of his nose, Wu Dao could identify which herbs were most useful to him at his current stage. His hands moved unceasingly, grabbing them and filling half the chest.

These high-grade herbs were all over a century old. An entire half-chest of several hundred stalks now all belonged to Wu Dao!

Next up, silver banknotes!

Jewelry and antiques were too troublesome to sell and took up too much space. A single large-denomination silver banknote was worth a whole pile of them.

The silver banknotes were issued by Dali’s largest commerce association, the Black Dragon Commerce Association. It was rumored this behemoth had already broken away from the imperial court a few years ago.

But its prestige and power hadn’t diminished in the slightest. In these chaotic times, the Black Dragon silver banknotes were still the common currency throughout Dali.

RUSTLE~

Wu Dao didn’t bother checking the denominations, simply pouring all the silver banknotes from several small boxes into his large chest. A rough estimate put the total at no less than several million taels of silver.

SNIFF SNIFF...

Then, Wu Dao’s nose twitched again, and he discovered several Red Gourds on one of the walls.

Qi Blood Pills, Golden Healing Pills, Antitoxic Pills, Body Refining Pills...

Each Gourd had a label affixed to it,

Explaining the effects of the Elixir Pills inside.

"This is the real jackpot!!"

Wu Dao’s face lit up with joy. Aside from a few poisons, he packed the other dozen or so Gourds into his large chest.

Elixir Pills.

They were the concentrated essence of various Great Medicines!

An ordinary Pharmacist could never refine these.

Only Alchemists from the Immortal Sects possessed such skills.

Each pill was priceless and packed with medicinal power, practically an Otherworld version of a "bio-enhancer." They were perfectly suited for cultivating the Essence Devouring Art in the Heroic Domain!

’Great Success is within reach!!’

Looking at the chest filled with herbs, silver banknotes, and Elixir Pills,

Wu Dao smiled knowingly. For the foreseeable future, he would no longer have to worry about Cultivation Resources. It truly was as the saying goes: a man can’t get rich without a windfall!

WHOOSH~

After confirming nothing was left behind,

Wu Dao shouldered the large, half-man-high chest. Kicking up a gale, he sped out of the winery, plunged into the torrential downpour, and, with a thunderous sonic boom, quickly vanished into the darkness.

Less than a minute after Wu Dao had left,

reinforcements from the White Whale Martial Arts Hall arrived.

First came the members of the Elder Council. Several Elder Pojians tore through the wind and rain. One moment they were at the edge of sight, the next they had arrived within the dilapidated grounds of the winery estate.

"Old Qin, who the hell did this!!"

One of the elders who was usually on good terms with Elder Qin couldn’t help but be overcome with grief upon seeing the headless corpse in the pit of bloody water, and he roared at the sky.

Before long,

the Maitreya Buddha-like Qi Canghai also arrived. Upon seeing Elder Qin’s headless corpse in the pit, his expression turned grim.

Although he was at odds with the Elder Council,

he had a clearer sense of right and wrong than anyone.

An attack at the headquarters of the White Whale Martial Arts Hall!

The assassination of a core elder of the martial arts hall!

This was a blatant slap in the face to the White Whale Martial Arts Hall. Once word got out, the entire Jianghu of Guangqing Prefecture would mock them!

There was no need for much of an investigation.

After all, Wu Dao had intentionally ’revealed’ certain clues.

Soon,

everyone learned the cause of the incident from the estate’s servants, and they also learned that Qin Nanchun had met a violent end.

Everyone’s expression was one of astonishment.

Cheng Tiankun?

A blind man?

Revenge for the extermination of his family?

Suspected to have undergone a Second Rebirth?

When did Elder Qin provoke such a vicious person?

However, when they thought about all the shady things Elder Qin had done in secret over the years,

the Elder Council fell silent.

Some of them had also participated in many of those deeds.

They knew full well how many families had been destroyed and how many injustices had been caused. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

They just never expected,

that karma would eventually come calling.

That a weed they failed to pull out completely would actually grow strong and come knocking on their door.

If this was truly an act of vengeance...

HISS!

For a moment,

some of the elders in the Elder Council with unclean pasts couldn’t help but shudder, a shadow falling over their hearts.

’Suspected to have undergone a Second Rebirth!’

’And still in the prime of his life!’

’If such a person truly set their sights on them, then aside from the two leaders of the Elder Council who were at the Huajin Stage, the rest of them could forget about ever stepping outside again.’

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH~

Just as everyone was lost in their own thoughts, the sound of rushing wind was heard.

A tall and slender Vice Hall Master of the Transformation Stage came rushing back from the dark, rainy curtain in the distance.

He had been closest to Elder Qin’s residence and had rushed over at once, following the traces left by the killer in pursuit.

But...

After landing,

he shook his head at Qi Canghai and said:

"The rain is too heavy, and the perpetrator was too cautious. I estimate he took to the waterways not far from the estate, and all traces have vanished."

Hearing this, Qi Canghai’s hand, which was flicking through his Prayer Beads, paused, and his brow furrowed slightly.

A Martial Artist who has undergone a Second Rebirth.

If you can’t capture them immediately, it’s almost impossible to hunt them down later.

After all, their speed is comparable to a gale force wind, and even in water, they are like a fish, moving with incredible swiftness.

At this moment,

he has probably already escaped Lancang County City by following a tributary of the Lancang River.

But...

Qi Canghai looked at the gruesome sight of Elder Qin in the pit, and the image of Wu Dao suddenly appeared in his mind. His jade-like eyes narrowed slightly.

With a mere thought,

his Innate Level Spiritual Perception enveloped the entire estate and winery, sweeping over all the traces of the battle.

There were many footprints and palm prints.

But Qi Canghai had taken in Wu Dao’s entire physical appearance during the day, and none of them matched Wu Dao at all.

No human tissue was left behind either.

All signs indicated that it was indeed the work of an outsider.

However,

Qi Canghai still held suspicions in his heart.

A normal Martial Artist who had undergone a Second Rebirth indeed couldn’t change their appearance.

But Wu Dao was clearly not among their ranks.

’A suspected Celestial Treasure Master of the physique type!’

’Changing his appearance should be a simple matter for him.’

’The strength he displayed during the day also proved he had the ability to kill Elder Qin in an instant.’

’As for motive...’

’That went without saying; his conflict with Elder Qin was practically a life-or-death struggle.’

However, after sweeping the area with his Divine Thought, Qi Canghai didn’t voice his suspicions.

As for Wu Dao,

he had other plans for him in the future and couldn’t let him leave the White Whale Martial Arts Hall for the time being.

Therefore,

this matter had to be the work of Cheng Tiankun.

However...

someone didn’t want the matter to be settled just like that.

"How could there be such a coincidence?"

A stout, heavy-set elder, his face filled with grief and indignation, said with red eyes, "During the day, Old Qin had a falling out with that damn Wu Dao, and tonight he’s assassinated. This matter is definitely connected to him!"

"Lao Gu, what nonsense are you spouting?"

Who would have thought, the very next moment, he was rebuked by Grand Elder Chen.

Elder Chen’s deep-set eyes glanced at the impassive Qi Canghai, and he sighed.

"I know we’re both devastated by Old Qin’s murder, but none of the evidence points to Hall Master Wu. Don’t be a fool."

During the day, Wu Dao had pledged allegiance to Qi Canghai in front of everyone. Whether it was sincere or not, he was now considered part of Qi Canghai’s faction.

Under these circumstances,

it was one thing to have suspicions in private.

But to directly accuse Wu Dao in front of Qi Canghai and so many members of the White Whale Martial Arts Hall...

’Wasn’t that the same as slapping Qi Canghai right in the face? He’s truly getting senile!’